Page 89 of Fierce Monarch

Bones healed; body bags didn’t.

Rushing through the second floor, I picked through the rooms, trying to stay as low as I could to avoid too much of the smoke. I’d already been inside too long and I knew it, but I was so close to getting out.

You can do this.

When I turned the corner, I realized I was right by Cameron’s office. Knowing him, he’d left a secondary exit just in case things went sideways.

I was right.

The window opened easily, and I had just hoisted one leg onto the ledge when the wall crumbled and the floor went out from under me. For a second, I thought I could hold on. I wasn’t strong enough to carry Cameron, but I could do this. I could get myself out that window.

But my gloves were soaked, and my grip was too weak.

It was a short, sweet fall to the floor. My hip ached at the landing, and the breath was knocked out of me, a dangerous thing when I was already struggling to breathe.

Disoriented wasn’t the word as I tried to get to my feet amid the flood of papers and books at my feet. The world felt underwater, and all I could think was, How did they get here?

Focus, Mari.

I could drag myself out, but I was sure I’d end up under the debris pile if I tried. Still, there was no way I’d give up, so I clawed forward as much as I could, fighting the light-headedness that threatened to sweep me away for good.

When I finally couldn’t move anymore, I flopped onto my back in a relatively clear area of the room, staring at the ceiling that looked like it was ready to come down on me. Every breath was a struggle, my eyes were barely open anymore, and I couldn’t catch my breath at all.

Maybe he’ll make it in time. If anyone was going to beat the odds, it would be Dominic.

Still, the possibility of death felt fitting that it would be like this. Maybe the fire would burn away the sins I’d committed in this life so I could be happy in the next.

My eyes closed, too blurred to be any help, and as I took another stuttering breath, arms came under me, hoisting me into the air. My head lolled into a broad chest as the sweetest words I’d ever heard floated over the chaos.

“I’ve got you, angel.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mari

“You’re here,” I said softly.

Nate. He’d come. He’d saved me when I was too fucking tired to save myself.

“I’m here.”

“Cameron.” I tried to tell him, but I fell into a coughing fit that made everything hurt.

“You first, baby.”

“No. He’s been in here longer.”

“I’m not arguing with you, Mari. I’ll get you out, and then I’ll dig him out.” Nate didn’t wait for me to respond, picking his way through the debris, dodging hot beams and wobbling sections of floor as he went.

I reached to feel his face, needing him to ground me, and found a mask instead. At first, I wasn’t sure why, then I realized, right now, he was the enemy. An Ace in a Marcosa house that was just set to flame.

Dominic wouldn’t be the only one to pull a gun if Nate was seen. “It’s not safe for you.”

“I don’t give a fuck. You texted, I came.”

That was that. I hated it, but I had to trust that Nate knew what he was doing better than I did at the moment. Resting against him, I drew strength from his steady heartbeat, forcing my lungs to breathe with him. It hurt, but by the time fresh air filled them, I felt better. That might not have been a good thing, though.

We moved around until, suddenly, I was being set down, cold grass at my back. The fabric around my mouth and nose was stripped off, and when the chill hit, I twisted and coughed until I thought I’d puke. Those arms that had cradled me so sweetly disappeared, but I reached a hand out to keep them close even though I was flailing around blindly. He couldn’t leave. “Wait.”

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